Section 52B | Power to designate or nominate authorities. ^F1

(1)If in the Welsh Ministers' opinion the amount calculated by an authority as its budget requirement for a financial year (the year under consideration) is excessive, they may exercise their power to designate or nominate the authority under section 52D below.^F2F3F4

(2)The question whether the amount so calculated is excessive must be decided in accordance with a set of principles determined by the Welsh Ministers.^F5

(3)A set of principles—

(a)may contain one principle or two or more principles;

(b)must constitute or include a comparison falling within subsection (4) below or comparisons each of which falls within subsection (4).

(4)A comparison falls within this subsection if—

(a)it is between the amount calculated by the authority as its budget requirement for the year under consideration and the amount calculated by it as its budget requirement for a financial year falling before the year under consideration;

(b)the earlier financial year in the comparison does not fall before that beginning with 1st April 1998.

(5)If for the purposes of this section the Welsh Ministers determine categories of authorities for the year under consideration—^F6

(a)any principles determined for the year must be such that the same set is determined for all authorities (if more than one) falling within the same category;

(b)as regards an authority which does not fall within any of the categories, the Welsh Ministers may not exercise their power to designate or nominate the authority under section 52D below by reference to the excessiveness of its budget requirement for the year.^F7

(6)If they do not determine such categories, any principles determined for the year under consideration must be such that the same set is determined for all authorities.^F8

(7)In determining categories of authorities for the year under consideration the Welsh Ministers shall take into account any information they think is relevant.^F9F10

(8)In applying this section the Welsh Ministers shall ignore any calculation for which another has been substituted at the time designation or nomination is proposed.^F11